Haven’t been posting much lately for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I’ve been working on the final galleys for the 501 book. Almost done with that and then I have to create the index, which should be interesting. I’ve also been researching a stand-alone web-presence for the book, which is proving a bit […]
Tagged as:
David Ferry,
Foley's Pub,
Greg Prince,
New York Mets
Those who are regular readers of the Bookshelf know I rarely deal with fiction. It’s not that I don’t like it (although in many cases I feel the ability to self-publish so easily and inexpensively leads to an overload of stimulation — just too much stuff); it’s simply that I feel inadequately educated to comment […]
Tagged as:
Joseph Schuster,
Might Have Been
Add Don Larsen to the list of former players who are putting up pieces of their legacies up for sale. According to this piece in the NY Jewish Week, Larsen will auction off the uniform he wore when he pitched his World Series perfect game in 1956. According to the story by Steve Lipman, “Besides […]
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Brandon Steiner,
Brian Lehrer,
Don Larsen
One of the things I’ve come across during my research is that so many readers and writers take this stuff so seriously. As Crash Davis said in Bull Durham, “This game is fun, okay?” But who says you can both have fun and pay proper respect to those who have made the national pastime so enjoyable? […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Reliquary,
Jon Leonoudakis
♦ The Louisville Courier-Journal posted this Q&A with Katya Cengel, author of Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life. ♦ Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News, blogged about Not Exactly Cooperstown, a documentary about The Baseball Reliquary by Jon Leonoudakis (look for a review of the film as well as a […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Reliquary,
Jon Leonoudakis,
Rob Neyer,
Tim Wendell
Before there was film, before there was even television, photography was the only means by which fans could see the players. The medium was still developing (pardon the pun), so the men (almost exclusively), who snapped their shutters were still learning about such things as angles, speed, placement, composition, etc. One of the early pioneers […]
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Charles M. Conlon,
Neal McCabe
Slate’s Hang Up and Listen, is one of my “must-hear” podcasts. The chatter is almost always entertaining (except when they talk about soccer. ugh.). This week one of the topics was the classic Abbot and Costello routine. Coming on the heals of the Seinfeld-Costas deconstruction aired last week on the MLB Network, I have to […]
Tagged as:
Abbott & Costello,
Hang Up and Listen,
Who's on First
As mentioned in a previous post, Arnold Hano wrote one of the must-read books for any serious student of the national pastime. A Day in the Bleachers was the first, and in many ways the best, of the single-game analyses genre. His deconstruction of the first game of the 1954 World Series between the New […]
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Arion Press,
Arnold Hano,
Baseball Reliquary,
Fans,
Mark Ulriksen,
New York Giants,
Willie Mays,
World Series
Marty Appel is no stranger to the Bookshelf. I’ve met him on several occasions and his work as an author and publicist has often appeared on the blog. Now I’m pleased to report on perhaps his most significant achievement to date: Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss […]
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Marty Appel,
New York Yankee,
Ron Blomberg
I have to admit, when I first heard that R.A. Dickey’s memoir, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, contained information about his sexual abuse as a child, I thought, “Here we go again. Another celebrity who has to come up with an angle to sell his otherwise average […]
Tagged as:
RA Dickey,
Wayne Coffey
With Father’s Day quickly approaching I thought I’d concentrate on a couple of books that would be great for dad. Perhaps mores o if he’s a fan of the Bronx Bombers, but these would be just as appropriate if he’s a student of baseball history as well as baseball cards, respectively. I’m speaking of The […]
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Baseball card,
Dave Anderson,
New York Times,
New York Yankee
With Fathers Day upon us, and a few prominent author appearances on the horizon, I’ve been scrambling to put up some relevant podcasts. So rather than putting up one this week, there will be a few including: Wayne Coffey, co-author of R.A. Dickey’s notable memoir, Wherever I Wind Up Marty Appel, Pinstripe Empire, which is […]
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Dave Anderson,
Marty Appel,
New York Times,
Pinstripe Empire,
Topps,
Wayne Coffey,
Yogi Berra Museum
There are numerous staples of baseball fiction: Kinsella and Lardner immediately come to kind, with contributions from writers that might surprise, such as Garrison Keillor and George Plimpton, both known for their work in other genres. Then there are the newcomers, putting more contemporary spins on a game that’s been around fore more than 150 […]
The first celebrity interview I ever did was with Sparky Anderson. I got my freelance start doing book reviews (surprise, surprise), which led to author interviews, which led me to Anderson, who had just come out with They Call Me Sparky (1998). As one might expect in the presence of greatness, I was a bit […]
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Dan Ewald,
Sparky Anderson
These come from the New Books Network which features news on several different genres, including sports. These two, both by Bruce Berglund, feature interviews with Robert Fitts, author of Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan; Lee Congdon, author of Baseball and Memory: Winning, Losing, and Remembrances of Things […]
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Banzai Babe Ruth,
Bill Veeck,
Paul Dickson
Any middle-aged, self-respecting New York baseball fan knows the name Phil Pepe. He was the Yankees beat writer for the World Telegram & Sun from 1961-64, and for the Daily News from 1971-84. He’s enjoyed a long run on radio, too, serving as the sports voice for WCBS-FM when it was still an oldies station, […]
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Bob Gibson,
Bud Harrelson,
Hofstra University,
New York Mets,
Phil Pepe
History is not supposed to be something I’ve lived through. History is supposed to be something that happened well before I was born. It was therefore with a mix of nostalgia and dread that I read Tim Wendell‘s Summer of ’68: The Season That Changed Baseball–and America–Forever. 1968 was the first year I really started […]
Tagged as:
1968,
David Halberstam,
Detroit Tigers,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Tim Wendel,
World Series
Dickey, the Mets knuckleballer, has been the guest on two NPR programs this week, Fresh Air (yesterday) and The Leonard Lopate Show (on Monday). And I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up on Only a Game at some point. I always find it interesting to hear the same author on multiple outlets: How do […]
Tagged as:
Dave Davies,
National Public Radio,
RA Dickey
Another book about Yogi Berra? Yup, and one that shouldn’t be missed. Harvey Araton published Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball’s Greatest Gift as an extension of a column he had written for The New York Times last year, about the annual ritual in which the former Yankee ace would pick up […]
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Harvey Araton,
Ron Guidry,
Yogi Berra
Alex Belth, author of Stepping Up: The Story of All-Star Curt Flood and His Fight for Baseball Players’ Rights and Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories: Unforgettable Tales from the House That Ruth Built, conducted this in-depth interview with Rob Fleder, editor of the new collection of essays, Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World’s […]
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Alex Belth,
Curt Flood,
Damn Yankees,
Dirk Hayhurst,
Rob Fleder,
Ron Guidry,
Yogi Berra
is available on Amazon.com,
